82 Want to Divorce
◎She regretted marrying into the Bo family!◎
The night was as cool as water, the dew was heavier as the night got darker, and the ticking of the clepsydra was particularly clear in the silence.
In the second courtyard of the Changping Marquis's mansion, Chu Jinhe hugged a brocade quilt, and in the silence, she stared at the red gauze curtain above her head with empty eyes.
I didn't know how long I lay there, but the door creaked open. Heavy footsteps stumbled toward the bed, and then, with a swish, the bed curtains were roughly torn open, and the strong smell of alcohol mixed with the scent of powder hit me in the face.
"Madam, help me change my clothes——"
Ren Yu shouted incoherently, his tall figure blocking the bed.
Chu Jinhe turned her head blankly, looking at the disheveled man before her. She slowly sat up and reached out to untie his belt. As she got closer, the scent of powder intensified, a sweet, cloying aroma that made her want to vomit. Her already pale complexion instantly darkened even further.
In the candlelight, Ren Yu saw her cold face, chuckled twice, grabbed her hand that was unbuckling her belt, and was about to kiss her with a lecherous look on his face, but she turned her head away with a cold face.
Ren Yu's smile faded, and after a moment, he raised the corner of his mouth again, breathing out the smell of alcohol and said with a smile: "My dear wife, are you mad at me for coming back late?"
It would have been fine if he hadn't mentioned it. But when he did, Chu Jinhe's accumulated anger for days rushed to the surface. She couldn't hold her composure anymore and abruptly pulled her hand back. Her face was as cold as ice, and she didn't want to touch him again. She said impatiently, "Since my husband can still speak, he must not be so drunk that he can't take care of himself. Either you relieve yourself or call the maid to come in and serve you."
After saying that, she lay down directly and turned over, leaving only her back.
Ren Yu's face suddenly turned ugly. He was almost sober and the smile on the corner of his lips fell.
When they were newly married, her aloof demeanor was fresh and interesting, a true ice-cold beauty. But now, after more than half a month of marriage, she was still putting on airs every day. Who was she trying to show off to? In this huge mansion, did Second Master Ren still lack space to endure such idleness?
"Oh!"
He didn't give in. He sneered, tied his belt, turned around and walked out unsteadily.
Listening to the footsteps going out, Chu Jinhe could no longer bear it. She clutched the corner of the quilt tightly and sat up suddenly, shouting at the man's back: "Where are you going! You just came back from those filthy places, are you going to that little bitch's house again!"
Ren Yu paused, turned around abruptly, his face darkening and his voice cold, "Watch your mouth! My name is Lan Zhou! If you don't want to serve me, can't I go somewhere else? What other wife is like you, always giving her husband the cold shoulder?"
Chu Jinhe's chest heaved up and down. She closed her eyes, but she couldn't suppress her anger. She gritted her teeth and said, "Then look at me again! What other husband is like you? Doing nothing but hanging out in brothels all day! The legal wife just got married, and you can't wait to bring in this lowly bastard! Where can I put my dignity?"
There was a rustling noise coming from the corridor outside the house, but it soon died down.
Ren Yu took a few deep breaths and kicked the wooden chair beside the table hard. The loud noise was particularly terrifying in the quiet night. Chu Jinhe couldn't help but shrink her shoulders.
He pointed outside and raised his voice, "Go out and ask around! What prominent man isn't out socializing? What's wrong with a man having three wives and four concubines? Is this the end of the world? She looked like a pure and innocent lotus before, but now she has this jealous face. One more look at her makes my eyes sully!"
These words were extremely serious. Chu Jinhe's eyes instantly turned red. She bit her lower lip tightly and simply gave up. "Ha! Inquire? Okay! Then let's talk about it!"
She took a deep breath. "Let's not talk about those far away! Let's talk about my cousin Lu Jia'an and my half-sister Chu Yufu! Why hasn't Prince Zhao taken a concubine? Why didn't Pei Yue take a concubine either? Why do you have to have a concubine? Are you any better than them?"
She still had half a sentence left to say.
What was wrong with Chu Jinhe? Back in the boudoir, they were a country girl, a concubine's daughter, and no one could compare to her in terms of family background, talent and appearance. Why was she the one who was at a disadvantage now?
She thought about the Bo family and had tolerated a lot, so why did they have to endure such humiliation?
Ren Yu hates being compared with others the most. When he was young, he was compared with his eldest brother, then with his third brother, and now that he is married, his wife compares him with other men!
He immediately became furious and picked up the teapot at hand and smashed it hard against the bed. Porcelain pieces flew everywhere, and a larger piece flew to Chu Jinhe's hand, cutting a hole and causing blood to gush out instantly.
Without even looking at the wound, he said coldly, "If you think they're good, why didn't you marry them in the first place? From the way you sound, it seems like marrying into my uncle's house is unfair to you. Fine! Very fine! Just go! I won't stop you!"
Then he turned around abruptly, slammed the door and left.
The loud noise made the window frames buzz, a draft blew in, and the candlelight in the cage twisted and swayed, almost going out.
Chu Jinhe covered her hands, slumped down on the bed, and sobbed.
Qing Xian, who had been waiting outside the door and had heard the whole thing, rushed in and was horrified when he saw the wound on her hand: "Sir, how could you do that to me! Madam, cover it first. I'll go get some water."
Fortunately, the wound looked scary but not deep. Qingxian fetched some water to clean the wound, and then took a clean handkerchief to press it for a while, and the bleeding stopped.
After a long while, when Chu Jinhe's crying subsided a little, Qingxian held the handkerchief for her and persuaded her in a very low voice.
"Madam, you and your son-in-law have only just gotten married and you've already gotten into this mess. Isn't this pushing your son-in-law into someone else's arms? Can you learn to say some soft words? Otherwise, how are you going to live your life from now on?"
Chu Jinhe lowered her head and shed tears, her face pale. "Soften your words? How can you expect me to soften? Haven't I endured enough? His legs are on him. Wherever he wants to go, can I stop him? I just can't understand why? Why can everyone marry well, but I have to end up with a man like this? Is this my fate?"
Qing Xian quickly shook his head: "Don't overthink it. If you want to blame someone, blame those lowly women in the brothels. They naturally have their own tricks to seduce men. Madam, you are a noble lady, how could you understand those tricks? But don't worry, Madam."
She leaned closer and said, "Madam, you are the legitimate wife after all. Your status is clear. When the novelty of the son-in-law wears off and he gets tired of playing around, he will naturally change his mind."
Hearing this, Chu Jinhe felt a little more at ease.
Yes, she is the legal wife! But when she thought of Lan Zhou's smug demeanor in the daytime garden, she couldn't help but feel angry. After thinking about her mother's methods, she stopped crying, wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand, and her eyes gradually turned cold.
"Tomorrow, after Ren Yu leaves, you will go to that bitch's residence in person and call two of the maids who serve her back to our courtyard. Tell them that we are short-staffed. Then, under the pretext of saving money, cut the allowance in half."
"This..." Qing Xian's heart skipped a beat, and he showed hesitation on his face, "Tomorrow? Madam, isn't it too hasty? Should we wait a little longer..."
You know, when the old lady dealt with the concubines, she also endured for a long time before taking action.
Chu Jinhe's eyes blazed with anger. "I can't wait any longer! If I don't let go of this anger, I won't be able to sleep or eat! If I can't live well, then no one else can either. I want her to know who is the mistress of the second house!"
Seeing her resoluteness, Qing Xian dared not persuade her any further and could only lower her head and agree: "Yes, I understand."
Then he cleared out the broken porcelain pieces in the room, changed the quilt, and helped her lie down.
The next morning, Chu Jinhe did not go to pay her respects to her mother-in-law, Cui, on the pretext of feeling unwell, and slept until noon.
After she stood up, she saw the two maids transferred from Lan Zhou, sweeping the yard with sad faces, and she felt a little relieved.
But her happiness didn't last long. Just after lunch, Cui's mother came and said with a stern face, "Second Young Master's Madam, the old lady wants you to come over. She has something to tell you."
Chu Jinhe's eyebrows jumped, and she straightened her appearance slightly, then followed her mother to the main courtyard of the Cui family.
She stepped over the threshold and was about to kneel down to greet her when she saw a woman in light green clothes sitting next to her mother-in-law. Could it be the Pipa girl that Ren Yu redeemed from outside? Who else could it be?
The pipa player Lan Zhou had already stood up and politely bowed to Chu Jinhe: "Greetings, Madam."
Chu Jinhe suppressed her unhappiness, nodded calmly, and knelt before Cui: "Greetings to mother."
Cui raised her hand, motioning her to stand up and sit down. Without a smile on her face, she went straight to the point: "Second wife, it's been half a month since you came into the family, right?"
Chu Jinhe replied respectfully: "Yes, mother."
"Since there are no outsiders here, I'll just speak frankly."
Cui raised her finger, picked up the teacup and took a sip, her posture graceful and distant: "Yu'er, how many times have you rested in your room in the past half month?"
Chu Jinhe's cheeks flushed. She glanced at Lan Zhou and lowered her eyes. "To answer Mother, about three or four times."
Cui put down the teacup and slowly wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, with a hint of blame in her tone.
"I didn't want to interfere in your young married life. But you're the legal wife, and how long have you been married? And yet you're sending your husband to his concubine's room every day to rest? Tell me, shouldn't you reflect on yourself? It's not wrong to be a little cold, but now that you're married, do you still have to put on this cold face towards your husband?"
As she spoke, she pointed at Lan Zhou, who was sitting quietly with his head bowed, and her tone softened.
"Lanzhou has a miserable life. She was originally from a respectable family, but ended up in a place like that because her family fell into hardship. Since her mother and I had some friendship when we were young, and Yu'er happened to like her, I decided to marry her. She's very obedient and gentle, unlike those seductive women out there. You two should get along well. In some ways, you really should learn from Lanzhou. See how she serves her husband, and why Yu'er is so willing to run to her courtyard!"
This string of words was full of sarcasm and made Chu Jinhe dazed. She looked down at the lotus pattern on the hem of her skirt and felt dizzy.
Is she reflecting on herself? Is she wrong?
What had she done wrong? She was the legitimate wife, and yet they wanted her to imitate the ways of a concubine? Had this whole family gone mad?
Just at this moment, Lan Zhou also spoke, saying softly, "Old Madam, you are embarrassing me. Madam, you are so noble, why do you need to learn from me? I simply dare not argue with you, my husband, and I always follow your wishes..."
Seeing Chu Jinhe's dazed expression, Cui Shi thought her warning had achieved its purpose, so she stopped talking and allowed her to reflect on the situation. Turning to Lan Zhou, she gave him an approving smile, "Well, that's right. Yu'er has a bit of a temper, but he's kind-hearted. You just need to coax him a little more. Jinhe is a little worse than you in this respect."
…
On the way here, Chu Jinhe thought a lot. Was her mother-in-law unhappy because she didn't go to pay her respects today? Or was it because her mother-in-law knew that she had cut the expenses of that little bitch?
But things were far worse than she thought.
A concubine, not only is she favored by her husband now, but she's also the daughter of an old friend of her mother-in-law? Wouldn't she be able to use these to bully her in the future?
What should she, the legal wife, do? What does her dignity matter?
The Changping Marquis's household hadn't split up yet, and no one knew when it would. Above her was a harsh, cold, and indifferent mother-in-law, below her was a favored concubine, and her husband was constantly wandering off, causing discord between them.
Today I just gave that concubine a little punishment, but I was picked up and reprimanded by my mother-in-law. How am I going to live my life from now on?
She regretted marrying into the uncle's family!
After leaving Cui's courtyard, Chu Jinhe remained silent all the way. Finally, when she reached the corner of the garden, she could no longer hold back and started crying, covering her mouth with her hands: "Qingxian, prepare the car! I want to go back to the Chu family!"
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